Refrigeration apparatus



June 9, 1942. M. G. SATEREN 2,285,947

REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed Feb. 21, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES: I INVENTOR M 7% 5 v S Ma/ hn Q Saferen.

a ATTORN? June 9, 1942.

M. G. SATEREN REFRIGERATION APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1940 INVENTOR Mar/in 6. 5a fercn WITNESSES:

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ATT RN Patented June 9, 1942 REFRIGERATION APPARATUS I Martin G. Sateren, West Springfield, Massi, assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturin Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 21, 1940, Serial No. 320,042

2 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and particularly to a high humidity refrigerator for improving the storage of foods which are subject to dehydration.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved and novel path for the flow of air in a high humidity refrigerator.

It is also an object of my invention to so construct a high humidity refrigerator that the temperature of the air in the food storage compartment is relatively low and the relative humidity therein is high.

It is another object of my invention to construct a high humidity refrigerator so that substantially the same refrigeration unit may be used both for high humidity refrigerators and for conventional refrigerators, in the latter of which the cooling element or evaporator is exposed directly to the air in the main food storage compartment.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a refrigerator embodying my invention; and,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a refrigerator taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings for a 31! ll, an evaporator compartment I2 and a machinery compartment l3. An evaporator or cooling element I4 is disposed in the evaporator compartment l2 and is connected by suitable conduits to a refrigerating unit generally indicated at l5 disposed in the machinery compartment I3. The refrigerating unit l5 includes a sealed casing 16 enclosing a main motor I! and a compressor 20. The compressor 20 withdraws refrigerant vapor from the evaporator l4 through conduit Ma and compresses it into a condenser l8 wherein the high-pressure refrigerant is cooled and liquefied, aided by air blown over the condenser by a motor-driven cooling fan l9. Condensed refrigerant is then fed to the evaporator l4 through a capillary tube flow-restricting device 2|, after which the refrigerant evaporates andabsorbs heat. The cycle is then repeated.

The high humidity compartment II is formed by a liner 22 which is spaced from an inner shell 23 of the refrigerator cabinet It], thus providing a passageway 24 around the top, bottom, sides,

and rear walls of the liner 22. The liner is formed of a material having a low thermal drop therethrough and preferably of good heat conductivity, such as porcelanized steel and is provided with an access opening 25 at its front which is closed by a door 26. The space at the front of the cabinet between the inner shell 23 and the liner 22 is sealed by a breaker strip 21.

The evaporator compartment I2 is formed to substantially isolate the evaporator I4 from direct contact with the air in the high humidity compartment II and comprises a shroud 28 spaced from the sides and bottom of the evaporator I4 and fastened to top and rear walls 29 and 3! of the liner 22. An auxiliary access door 32 seals the front of the shroud 28 and affords access to the evaporator where ice is usually frozen in ice trays (not shown) which are disposed in a freezing space 33 formed by imperforate walls 34 of the evaporator. A refrigerated shelf 30 divides the freezing space 33 into an upper portion 33a and a lower portion 33b.

The high humidity chamber II is primarily cooled by the conduction of heat through the metallic liner 22 to the air in the passage 24 in the following manner. The rear of the freezing space 33 connects with a fan inlet opening 36 in the rear wall 3| of the inner liner. A fan 31 driven by a motor 38 is disposed in the passageway 24 in registry with the fan inlet opening 36. A second opening 39 in a top wall 29 of the inner liner 22 establishes communication between the passageway 24 and the interior of the evaporator compartment l2. A baffle 4| is disposed completely across the width of the passageway 24 between liner 22 and shell 23 and as shown in Fig. 2 extends across the top of the inner liner 22 and down its sides almost to the bottom thereof. It is also to be noted that the evaporator I 4 is spaced from the rear wall 3| of the inner liner 22.

Air is, therefore, drawn into the evaporator chamber l2 through the upper opening 39 and passes simultaneously over the inner and outer surfaces of the imperforate Walls 34 of the evaporator l4. The air which passes over the inner surfaces of the imperforate walls 34 passes through the upper freezing chamber 33a in contact with the refrigerated shelf 30 and into the fan inlet 36. The air passing on the outside of the imperforate walls 34 of the evaporator l4 enters the lower chamber 33b either at the front or the rear end thereof and then enters the fan inlet 36. The air in passing over the cold evaporator is cooled and dehumidified, it being preferable that the fan motor 38 and the main motor I! be energized at the same time.

Cold air from the fan 3'! is discharged over the entire exterior surface of the rear wall 3! of the inner liner 22, this part of the passageway 24 constituting a high air pressure zone. The bafiie 4| guides the cold air to the bottom of the inner liner 22 and, as shown by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2, the cold air is conveyed along the bottom, up the sides and over the top of the inner liner 22 to the upper opening 39 therein, thus completing the air circuit. It is to be noted that the cold dry air does not enter the high humidity chamber II and that the air presure in the passageway 2 4 progressively decreases from the point of discharge at the fan to the upper opening 38 in the inner liner 22. Furthermore, the high humidity compartment II is cooled primarily by conduction of heat through the metal walls thereof to the air in the passage 24. The air in the high humidity compartment H is, therefore, effectively cooled by an extended heat transfer surface comprising the inner liner 22 and a high humidity is, therefore, maintained in the compartment H.

The evaporator M has refrigerating capacity stored therein when the refrigerating mechanism I5 is not operating and if the fan is inactive at the same time, thermosyphonic circulation of air will occur in the passageway 24 thus cooling the high humidity compartment II during inactive periods of the refrigerating mechanism !5.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a high humidity cabinet having improved air circulation for cooling and maintaining a relatively high humidity and low temperature in a refrigerator cabinet. Furthermore, it will be apparent that a refrigerating mechanism i 5 and evaporator it such as used in conventional low humidity refrigerators may be utilized to construct a high humidity refrigerator.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In refrigeration apparatus, the combination of a refrigerating unit including a cooling element and means for circulating refrigerant through the cooling element, a refrigerator cabinet including a liner having rear, bottom, side, and top walls formed of a material having a low thermal drop therethrough and enclosing a food storage compartment, said food storage compartment having an open front means for substantially isolating the cooling element from the food storage compartment, a duct system surrounding said liner, air circulating means for forcing air through said duct system and over said cooling element to cool the food storage compartment primarily by conduction of heat through said liner, said duct system being arranged so that as air leaves the cooling element it is conveyed first into contact with the entire back wall of the liner, then forwardly toward said open front of the food storage compartment under the bottom of the liner, and up both sides thereof in contact with the liner to the top of the liner whereupon it reenters the cooling element, said duct system being formed in part by bafiies which extend across the exterior of the top of the rear wall of the liner and downwardly along the exterior of the vertical edges of the rear wall of the liner to a point adjacent the bottom Wall of the liner.

2. In refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a cabinet having side, rear, top, and bottom Walls and an open front, a door for said open front, heat insulating material on. said cabinet and on said door, a metal liner in said cabinet adjacent to but spaced from at least one side, rear, top, and bottem wall, said liner having two openings in the upper portion thereof, a partition in the upper portion of said liner said partition forming a compartment communicating with! both of said openings, a cooling unit in said compartment, means for circulating air through said compartment, said air entering said compartment through one of said openings and leaving through the other of said openings, and a shroud between the liner and at least one wall of said cabinet to direct air issuing from one of the openings toward said bottom wall.

MARTIN G. SATEREN. 

